


Smell Like a Rose, Pierce Like a Thorn

by I_Am_Titanium



Series: This is a really weird town [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: But here Bobbi is just a teenager so you know, Canon-Typical Violence, Check out my new tags!, Consensual Underage Sex, Drunk!Bobbi, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, How did nerd Bobbi turn to kickass Bobbi, I really have to work on my tagging, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It belongs to a series but feel free to read it alone, It's actually canon but it doesn't mean I can't hate this plot, It's mutually consensual but Bobbi is still just a teenager, Like a normal and non-paedophile person so way to go, Lincoln Slade is a creep and a jerk and a raper but really what's new, Mockingbird In Training I guess?, Natasha comes to rescue, Pre-"Hello", Sharing a Bath, So I'll keep it simple, So Nat gets cold feet and run away, Underage Drinking, Underage because canon or not Natasha really is a lot older than Bobbi, Underground Fight Club
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-03-02 01:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13307526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_Titanium/pseuds/I_Am_Titanium
Summary: It all started as a simple broccoli run. At night-time. In a neighborhood where infamous good-for-nothing/brother of the town's hero Lincoln Slade crept. What could possibly go wrong, right?But a redhead no one had ever seen came to rescue, so it went alright, really.And the blonde decided she never needed rescue from anyone ever again.Even if it came at a much higher price, namely a broken family and a broken heart.





	1. Family Comes First

**Author's Note:**

> I had this plot originally planned for "Hello", but it would have severely disturbed the storyline and blurred the focus of Simmorse, which is unfair to Simmorse AND Blackingbird so I post this instead.
> 
> It's a pure Blackingbird story with eventual smut, which is my typical style. Brace for impact.
> 
> And, about Bobbi's family, this is the best I can do because they really are rare to find in the comics. They never told us who Bobbi's father is (Susan didn't get to tell in Hawkeye & Mockingbird before she was shot, presumably someone with high intelligence and secretive profession... I think) or Susan's occupation, nor did they tell us why exactly Ben was so angry about his big sister. (I assume big sister because he has that spoiled-young-sibling vibe, but I stand corrected with credible source) Mostly I just assume. I assume Susan is stern and caring and Bobbi gets those from her. I assume Ben is always frastrated because of their father's abandonment. I assume Bobbi used to be timid and nerd and slight in figure thus gets bullied a lot. (To be honest, she really was such a nerd before joining the SHIELD and began her life of kickass, so it's not entirely false... right?) But they are all just ASSUMPTIONS. Sorry if any of my subjective views cloud your judgement toward the characters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broccoli run turned ugly.

"We run out of broccoli." Susan shut the refrigerator door with a disappointing sound, declaring.

 

"Oh, no, mom, we are definitely _not_ having steak without broccoli." Ben grumbled dramatically, giving Bobbi who just walked into the kitchen a hard pat on the shoulder, "am I right, Sis?"

 

Bobbi was struck sideways, hitting the dining table with a light "thud". She winced a little, glared at her little brother and propped up her glasses, voice stern. "Stop messing around in the kitchen, Benny. You could have knocked over something and got seriously hurt."

 

"God, you’re such a bore." Ben groaned, but then his eyes lit up, "Speaking of which, there’s a boring task that suits you perfectly, Sis: go and get us broccoli! I believe you can be back before 7—"

 

"No, Benjamin Morse, you are going with her." Susan ordered firmly, "The Jackson’s told me they ran out this morning, so you’ll have to go to the other side of the town. You know what kind of neighborhood we live in, let alone there. You are her brother, Ben. You have to protect her."

 

"Mom, can we…" Bobbi interrupted, whispering, her face a little paler than usual, "can we do this tomorrow? I can go pick it up at a grocery near my school. It’s more convenient this way—"

 

"Fine! Let’s go. You don’t want to keep the steak waiting." Ben ignored his sister completely and dragged her outside, rushing into the growing darkness.

 

 

 

"I hate it when you do this, Benny." Bobbi mumbled as they walked down a dark alley. The sky was cloudy, not a ray of light anywhere. It sent something grim across her, but of what origin she couldn’t quite place.

 

"What?" Ben was more grumpy than she anticipated, kicking the dirt as he went on, hands forming fists in his jacket pockets.

 

"When you… completely ignore me like I wasn’t there." Bobbi replied quietly, "I have enough of that in school. I really don’t want that with my family."

 

They walked past a bridge where there was a lantern at the end of it. She shifted detectably in the light to hide several bruises on the side of her body. But Ben seemed to ignore her, like he did so many times.

 

"Well, maybe you should start to learn how to earn respect, _sister!_ " He stopped in the middle of the road and snapped at her, swaying his fist, "You never had any, I mean any, personal opinions. Always the polite yes-woman, aren’t you? What do you know besides all your science stuff? Let me tell you that. _Absolutely nothing!_ "

 

Bobbi opened her mouth several times wanting to argue when Ben was throwing a tantrum which clearly wasn’t about her, but she all held back at the last second. She just waited until he was done, then spoke up as quietly and politely ever. "It’s not fair for you to say something like that when you are not in your right mind—"

 

"I’m not in my right mind? Have you checked yourself lately? You are the one who has been so self-important, arrogant—"

 

"Well, well, well, that’s not the way to treat a young lady, ain’t it?" An eccentric voice raised suddenly and startled them both. A boy approached with a even more eccentric smile on his colorless face. He was around Bobbi’s age, but his taste of fashion came straight out of the 19th century. (White denim jacket and jeans? Seriously, who would wear _that?_ ) And to make the situation even less pleasant, there were several muscular boys behind the boy in white, and none of them looked like they were just gentlemen to walk them home.

 

"Shit." Bobbi murmured under her breath. "Just perfect."

 

Ben turned to her, blinking in surprise. "I don’t know you curse."

 

"There are numerous things you don’t know about me, Benny." Bobbi sighed and took her brother’s hand, "I need you to listen to me very carefully, Benny. This guy is one of my schoolmates, Lincoln Slade. He and I got into some kind of… strife, lately. It’s nothing but I don’t want to get you involved, you understand me? So…" she squeezed his hand to reassure him and get his attention, "when I tell you to run, I want you to run straight home and don’t look back. Can you do that for me?"

 

Benny narrowed his eyes. " _And_ I don’t even know you’re capable of getting into any strife. You’re not a troublemaker." _Like me._

 

"Exactly." Bobbi smiled at him sadly, "But will you do as I say?"

 

"And leave you to this bunch of… creeps?" Ben refuted, eyes widen in disbelief, "You are a jackass most of the time, but you’re my jackass sister. You’re expecting me to just bail on you?"

 

It was that sad smile again. "Ben, you should know by now that I never _expect_ you to do anything, because you never listen."

 

Before Ben could fully understand what she meant, Bobbi reached out to gave him a hard push. He stumbled backward but missed his steps as he reached the edge of the bank and fell ten feet down in the river.

 

It was the beginning of April, but the water was icy nonetheless. The coldness soon took effect and gave him a cramp in the leg. He instantly forgot everything that was going on and had to solve this problem while keeping himself afloat as the rapid current swept him further away.

 

He was a good swimmer. In fact, he and his sister spent summers practicing in the very river that was drowning him right now. He knew every curve and whirlpool of it like the back of his hand… in summer and broad daylight. Apparently, this river during springtime is definitely not a good place to take a swim in it. The water was much more frigid, of course, and, more knottily, faster. And unable to see basically anything was just making it worse. All he could deal with at the moment was to keep his head above the water, staring at the bank with desperation and shock as the lantern light was gradually consumed by the darkness.

 

By the time Ben finally managed to crawl onto the bank, coughing for breath, he was flushed to another section of the river, where Bobbi and that Lincoln Slade gang were no where to be seen. He was on all fours panting and shivering from chill when there was a slightest hint of scream coming from the upper reaches.

 

"Damn you and your stubbornness, Barbara Morse." Ben cursed loudly as he got up as soon as possible and rushed toward where he came from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, next chapter will involve rape, I guess...
> 
> It's funny how I used to cherish the hope that Slade never got to touch Bobbi and their fake love was purely platonic, but clearly, Hawkeye & Mockingbird shattered all my illusion when Bobbi yelled at the Phantom Rider in her dream "You drugged me... raped me!" So, it's canon. Bobbi was roofied and raped, and the perpetrator was punished by death. It's not that hard to accept when you think about it... at least that's what I keep telling myself.
> 
> (Please don't get me start on those consensual cheating shit in Mockingbird #8. Please pretend it never existed. I love Chelsea Cain and her work in previous Mockingbird issues but that was just "too darn much", as Bobbi would have put it.)


	2. Redhead Knight In Shining Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> History of bullying/infatuation.
> 
> And Nat had really beautiful red hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: RAPE SCENE!!!
> 
> It was really distressing, writing this chapter. I've never imagined what a conscious-mind Bobbi would do when she's in a situation like this, let alone she was still powerless back then. It may be a little unfair to just assume she was always tough and badass, right...?
> 
> Anyway they are just neccesary plots for character development. Don't get too attached (like me) or else, you know, distress.

"Ah, Barbara Morse, my goddess. It’s nice to see you out here… at the most perfect time." She already lost her best chance to escape when she was busy getting Ben out of here, but in the back of her mind, she always knew there was nowhere to run anyway.  
  
Because of course it was not their first encounter, and of course it was never any _"strife"_. It was harassing, bullying, terrorizing and mostly just harassing. You couldn’t find other words to describe the action of someone leading a band of boys waiting outside your classroom for you to come out and either beat the crap out of you or intimidate you into running errands for him, which could possibly be worse. It could be something petty like buying a drink for him, or it could be something _really_ serious like stealing answers of midterm paper from the teacher’s office.  
  
And she did without resistance. Not without hesitation, for sure, but she didn’t disobey, nor did she tell anyone about it. Anyone that would matter, to be specific. She was stealth, though. She had been doing his evil deeds ever since she enrolled at the high school and had never been caught even once, so despite her unwillingness, she had never got herself into any trouble.  
  
Lincoln Slade’s big brother, Carter Slade, was a honorable man in this town. He had proven himself more than once he was the mayor everyone deserved before he sacrificed in a firefighting accident. In spite of the whispers that it was insanity that consumed him and pushed him into this suicidal action, it was undeniable that he had been a hero to the town, thus the tolerance of people here toward his bratty brother even when he was clearly nothing but a thug. He could get away with whatever he did, felonies or petty crimes.  
  
Bobbi knew that. It was the exact reason she went through all of these. Lincoln Slade did threaten to beat up Ben if she didn’t do as asked. She may be weak toward tyranny, but she wouldn’t allow anything happened to her family ever again after what her father did. Slade knew that, and took advantages of it, too.  
  
Ironic enough, however, both of them also knew he did all of these out of a eerie but existing crush. He was infatuated with her the minute she first set foot in the campus and eight months later, it didn’t seem to fade even the tiniest bit. He constantly addressed her as a goddess and actually claimed to her once that "in another life, we would be riding carefree in the Wild West". He spared no effort in showing his "love", in his perverted and manipulating way at that.  
  
The memory alone made Bobbi shivered with disgust as she stared without backdown. She vaguely realized how it would go, and panic crept into her heart the way a stream would seep into a crack. But she straightened up and stared back, because honestly, what else could she do?  
  
"Lincoln Slade." she uttered two words with such contempt that even surprised herself, "To what do I own the unpleasantness?"  
  
"For being absolutely stunning and the only light source in miles, Barbara, like you always do." Slade’s praise was eccentrically sincere as he took a step closer. Bobbi took a step back warily but only bumped into lean muscle on someone’s, most possibly one of Slade’s goons’, chest.  
  
Bobbi took a deep breath, feeling her heart pounding wildly. "What the fuck do you want, Slade?"  
  
"Oops, that’s not a very nice thing for a proper lady like you to say." Slade faked his shock as he came even closer until he was right in front of her, his breath ghosting her scalp. He was almost a head taller than her, which was really hard for her to not be afraid.  
  
"Don’t touch me." Bobbi tried her best to instill firmness in her words when Slade’s hand landed on her shoulder. The gang barked out laughters along with Slade as the hand wandered to places that made Bobbi equally scared and nauseous.  
  
There was no mistake in what he was trying to do as all of them dragged her in a alley with a dead end where the only passersby were several mice searching for food in the garbage. There was no light in the alley, and she really didn’t like that maniac laugh he was having when he pushed her onto the ground right after waving his henchmen away.  
  
Only when they were left alone did Bobbi began to truly fight back. She reached out to scratch, hard, when a cold hand lift her shirt to come in contact with her body, feeling her up, closing up to the waistband of her jeans. She did hit something soft, presumably his face, and he did let out a grumble in pain, but he was too strong, his grip on her wrists too tight, and then it was too late and he was too close…  
  
It hurt. It hurt to a degree she didn’t even know it existed. And it hurt everywhere. His hands were pressing forcefully on her fragile body so hard it would most certainly leave some frightening bruises, even uglier than ones she used to receive from the same person. There were some pieces of broken glass beneath her, some of which already digging into the small of her back, causing a grotesque pain all over her body even when there were only several spots being cut open.  
  
He was using basically every ounce of his strength enough to make her wince or cry or beg him to stop, but she did none of these. She just bit harder on her lips and still tried to push him away with all her might despite how futile and almost absurd it looked.  
  
"I’ve been imagining this for quite some time, y’know?" A low chuckle echoed in between walls, making Bobbi wriggle madly with sickness and disgrace, but she never broke free, "Your divine flesh and blood against mine…"  
  
Bobbi didn’t trust her ability to speak right now without showing weakness, so instead she spat him on the face.  
  
"Very well, have it you way." Slade tightened his grip around Bobbi’s wrist so hard she heard her bones crackle unmistakably loud. So hard she screamed, but only being muffled after milliseconds.  
  
"Shhh, little bird, you don’t want to wake up the big bad cat now, do y—"  
  
"Let her go."  
  
It must have been pain that gave her false illusion of hope, because Bobbi could almost swear, faint-headed, that she heard a voice. A human voice. Telling her raper to stop. To let her go.  
  
How real could that be, right?  
  
Then it was this voice again. Firmer. Louder. Angrier. And a female one.  
  
"I said. Let. Her. Go."  
  
Slade stopped his movement painfully, and Bobbi finally managed to push him away. He hissed at the loss of contact as she fell back as quickly as possible, struggling for breath.  
  
"The only reason your ass isn't already in the water is because lucky for you, I don’t want any attention, but attention and broken limbs are what you’re going to get if you don’t pack up your pants and hit the road in the next thirty seconds."  
  
There was a faint accent in her speaking that didn’t belong to this town and toughness rare around here, too.  
  
It was confidence.  
  
Still panting, Bobbi pulled her hair draping over her face away to get a better look at her calvary. The lack of light must have played some tricks because the hair of this stranger looked almost… red.  
  
That was weird.  
  
She could feel the air shift as Slade slowly stand up, buckling his pants with an infuriated laugh. "What makes you think you get to tell me what you do all by yourself, sugah?"  
  
Shadow at the entrance of the alley began to grow larger and darker.  
  
And there was a chuckle, low and dangerous. Sexily dangerous. "I was hoping you’d choose this."  
  
The moon emerged from the thick clouds, shining silver lights upon the woman. Her red hair glared brightly like a wild fire that would burn down everything wherever it went, fluttering as she launched a heavy hook at the goon nearest to her.  
  
_Wow, that was awesome._  
  
It was the last thing Bobbi was conscious of before all the lights faded into oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That Carter Slade reference was kind of a last minute call. I didn't read many things about the first Phantom Rider other than he's a hero to the locals but a madman nonetheless like his brother. I feel like this should do, but I'm not so sure.
> 
> For the record, I do believe Lincoln Slade had a real crush for Bobbi, but it won't change the fact that he hurt her badly. I may be able to try and understand him but I will never forgive him. And damn those "judge jury and executioner" shit. This is the only time I ever feel someone should die right there and now because of what he did.


	3. Nice talk, girl.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally met!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I've been expecting for this chapter ever since I've got the idea of this fanfic. They get to know each other for the first time and first impression is just too important for me to screw up, which I probably already did...
> 
> But please, enjoy!

Everything hurt.  
  
And everything smelt like rose. And another indistinguishable but refreshing scent. Both were unfamiliar yet pleasant.  
  
Her other sensations came back gradually as the pain became more intense. She was staring at the black carpet with rose embroideries. There were indistinct sounds of running water. Moments later, the smell of rose grew stronger as a pair of bony feet were within her view.  
  
Bobbi looked up, startled, to find a red-hair woman holding up a steaming mug standing not far from the couch where she seemed to be lying face down on the edge of. She was wearing a crimson tank top and a pair of black boxer shorts, looking a little over twenty-five, which was remarkably young for someone with so many overlapping scars over her astonishingly muscular body. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, revealing her pale skin tone and a mildly concerned expression on her face. Her eyes shone a soft color of emerald, reminding Bobbi of the deepest and calmest sea. The comfort combined with the danger shown by her scars and a lean chin sent a tingling feeling up Bobbi’s spine, but of whether good or bad manner she couldn’t quite determine.  
  
And Bobbi reacted in a reasonable way when someone found themselves waking up in a strange place with a stranger. She scrambled to her feet, or at least tried to, because a wave of severe pain shot through her from a broken wrist as she (also tried to) popped herself up. Interesting enough, she did manage to get what she want (away from the stranger) when she accidentally rolled down the couch and landed face down on the floor painfully.  
  
Bobbi lay still, grumbling slightly at her own humiliation. Everything seemed to hurt more, if that was even possible. There was fire burning across her back, and when she tried to stretch to examine how serious it was, she froze at the odd feeling, a rough material of bandage against her bare flesh. In fact, a smoother material of the rug was rubbed against her skin as well when she slowly realized with a deep flush on her face she was _topless_ , laying face down on the carpet in a stranger’s apartment.  
  
_Whatever this is, this is going pretty well so far, isn’t it?_  
  
A blanket of sorts was thrown over her. Bobbi looked up gratefully as she struggled to wrap it around her upper torso and shifted back onto the couch. She tried to conceal how much it hurt on her wrist but didn’t quite work out.  
  
She sat on the couch, cross-leg, staring at the apparent owner of the house silently, waiting for an explanation.  
  
"What, not even a 'thank you' for your knight in shining armor?"  
  
The redhead lifted an eyebrow, watching Bobbi squirm uncomfortably on the couch, flushing scarlet.  
  
"I’m not…" Bobbi spoke up, then winced at the hoarseness and weakness in her voice. She cleared her throat, ignoring the burning feeling there, and tried again, "I’m not a damsel in distress, Ms…"  
  
_"Knight. In shining armor."_ The redhead seemed a little complacent at the title she gave herself. She walked over and handed her the mug. She didn’t instantly hand it over when Bobbi extended her broken hand out of habit, but waited patiently for her to realize and to correct herself. "That’s not my real name, sure, but you shouldn’t care too much about that for now. Hot chocolate. Drink up. You’ll need its energy. We can discuss who I am or who you are later if you wish."  
  
There it was again. A faint accent. But Bobbi knew it was because she was definitely not a local. She frowned a little at that thought, taking a sip. The familiar warmth and comfort spread through her as she sighed happily, her normal self back a little more. "You’re a Russian? I don’t recall any Russians in town—"  
  
 "I said drink _up,_ blondie." The redhead patted lightly on Bobbi’s head. She shivered drastically at the brief contact, spilling half of the brown liquid on her bare chest.  
  
They apologized simultaneously as Bobbi fumbled with her cover-up blanket to wipe it clean, then hissed as a new rush of pain spread through her body. There were several bruises already forming on her delicate skin like some distorted dahlia. It was disgusting to even look at them.  
  
"Sorry. That probably wasn’t the most appropriate thing to do after…" She trailed off almost sheepishly, wringing her hands together, waiting nervously for a reply.  
  
Bobbi finished the drink silently and maybe a little too eagerly. She gulped down the whole mug without making eye contact, but it wasn't that hard to notice the redhead’s eyes were glued on her, intrigued. The chocolate wasn’t made in boiled water, but it was still too hot to be drunk in such a swift manner and it burnt in her throat, much like so many feelings riling up in her hearts.  
  
"So, I was just out disposing garbage, laying low as usual, not wanting to cause any trouble. But instead, guess what, or who, I’ve found." The redhead handed Bobbi a glass of water on a table next to her, "The same. Bottom up."  
  
"Aren’t you a control freak, lady." Bobbi grumbled but obeyed anyway. She felt better already as warmth and coolness spread through her system like it was mending something broken.  
  
"Says a whiner who thinks she’s so tough." The redhead retorted, "Now, are we done with the name calling part, or do we have to argue some more? Because I really prefer you save your energy and give both of us a break… Ms Morse."  
  
Bobbi’s head jerked up in utter shock. _"How…?!"_  
  
"Just educated guess is all." The redhead seemed taken aback as well, but she concealed most of it, "Everyone here knows Slade gang, even an outlander like me. They wander around in this area a lot, bragging about how he succeeded in make another fool out of a 'Morse girl'. I thought he was talking about a—I’m not sure I’d pronounce this right—an enigma girl?" She paused a moment, "Sorry, was it too soon?"  
  
Slade.  
  
Bobbi gritted her teeth at the memory of the event, but she shook her head in response. "It’s 'enigmatic' you’re looking for, right? But it’s okay. Don’t bother yourself with my feelings. I’m not the kind of person to drown in denial."  
  
_I just want that motherfucker to pay._  
  
"Now I will have to take back my early comment. You are quite a tough girl… Barbara, I think?" The redhead smiled at her, voice much softer now, "Let me make another educated guess, Barbara, you could have run. You are a fine athlete. You could have outrun them. If you ask me, I’d say you were protecting someone. Am I correct?"  
  
"Bobbi." Bobbi tried again to sit up, and this time she did, leaning against the arm of the couch, hands reaching out to feel the bandage on her back. The pain was fading, thankfully, but there would be more ugly scars on his account.  
  
And it angered her to no extent.  
  
"I’m sorry, what?" The redhead’s brow knitted together in confusion.  
  
Bobbi let out a dry laugh. "Anyone saved me from my raper gets to call me Bobbi." She quickly added, "And also my friends, of course, but there aren’t many of them, so."  
  
The redhead actually laughed this time. It was a unsurprisingly pleasant and fluttering sound that made Bobbi’s face burn up like she just said something really stupid.  
  
"Alright… Bobbi," There was something extraordinary in the way she drawled on the syllables that made Bobbi blush even more, and those warm smiles she kept throwing at her way didn’t help at all, "Since I get to know your nickname other than 'Barbie', seems like it’s only fair that you know mine. Name’s Romanov. Natalia Romanov. Or Natasha if you like. I don’t really have any friends right now."  
  
"Wow." Bobbi’s jaw fell a little, "A redhead _and_ a royal. It might as well be my luck day after all."  
  
Now it was Natasha’s turn to blush deeply. It somehow suited her hair perfectly.  
  
"Distantly related is all. Descended from one of the Czar’s cousin a few coronations ago, I think." She managed in one breath and went for a comfort smile which didn’t quite land and turned into a sad one, "And this name has caused me more trouble than it’s worth, especially in a communism country like my beloved motherland."  
  
"…Oh." Bobbi’s smile froze on her face. "Sorry."  
  
"Don’t be. I have left that life behind now, anyway." Natasha waved away her worry with a light chuckle, "'Land of opportunity', no?"  
  
"Damn right." Bobbi laughed as well. The air seemed to lift a little. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her and sneezed as a gust of cool spring breeze sneaked through a crack on the window. Natasha walked over to the windows and closed it before returning to her former spot by the sofa, ever so swiftly and gracefully.  
  
"So, what do you do, Natasha?" Bobbi gratefully accepted another hot mug of chocolate after moments of silence when Natasha went to the kitchen and drank up more slowly this time.  
  
"Who, me?" She shot back playfully as she sat down on the carpet-covered floor across from the sofa, eyes never leaving her guest but it never felt prying, "Let me see... I’m a freelance cage gladiator for an underground fight club. My salary comes from a share of all the bets of the audience. They pay me considerably since I would win most of the fights, if not all."  
  
Bobbi burst into laughter, which was clearly a terrible mistake because it hurt her, well, basically everywhere. But she stopped soon anyway because she realized Natasha didn’t follow along.  
  
"God, seriously? You really do this for a living?"  
  
Natasha shrugged. "Yes, actually." she quickly added, "It’s decent money, I promise. No drugs or anything else funny involved. Just nice gentlemen waging harmless gambles. Nothing illegal."  
  
"Seriously?!"  
  
"Okay, I may have glorified the last part of it a little. Just a little." This evoked giggles from both of them, and Bobbi had to clenched to her side to stopped herself, "I thought you’d figured that out by now. I mean, they do call it an _underground_ fight club for a reason besides the fact that it is literally under the ground."  
  
Bobbi fought hard not to laugh again. "Okay, sure."  
  
"And I really don’t expect you to be this surprised, to be honest." Natasha raised a brow, "You just saw how fast I put those goons all down. I think some of them were still unconscious when I was downstairs to buy you chocolate. There were a few bodies missing, though. My best guess is they run in a hurry even without their bros."  
  
The air solidified again at the mention of what had happened as Bobbi dried last couples drops of chocolate.  
  
"Actually, I didn’t." She said as calmly as she could, but then she noticed Natasha was staring at her hands on her lap and they were shaking. "I fainted not long after you showed, like a useless coward Benny—my brother—always calls me."  
  
"And as we’ve already established, Ms Morse, you are not a coward." Natasha reached out to grab her by the hand, squeezing a little. This time Bobbi didn’t flinch. "So, a brother? Is he the person you tried to protect?"  
  
Bobbi nodded slowly, looking down. "Well, I guess I at least succeeded in that. Protecting him."  
  
"No, you didn’t." Natasha objected gently but firmly. "You have gotten yourself hurt. That is even worse than failing to protect someone, Bobbi."  
  
"Speaking of which, Natasha," Bobbi’s head jerked up and almost startled the redhead. She struggled up and winced at the sharp pain shooting from her ankle and fell back into the couch. She must have twisted it some time ago. "I should probably go. My family must be worrying sick—"  
  
"Yeah, about that…" Natasha began to wring her hands again. She seemed to acting like this spontaneously when she was nervous, "I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s still too dangerous for you to go out now. There might be some thugs on patrol around here for all we know."  
  
"But—"  
  
"I’ll go for a quick check, alright?" Natasha soothed, grabbing Bobbi’s hand again and planted a light kiss on top of it, "Don’t worry. I’ll be gone just a few minutes. You are absolutely safe here. Nobody knows I live here, literally. My landlord has been calling me Rita for so many years."  
  
Before Bobbi found the strength to argue, Natasha already disappeared in her sight. And also in the department when she started to look around.  
  
"Russians." she sighed as she managed to stand up again and limped toward the kitchen for another glass of water.  
  
_I need something stronger._


	4. Drunken Birdbath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever tried to bath a bird when it's drunk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk!Bobbi deserves every fucking thing in the world, y'all heard me?! EVERY FUCKING THING!!!
> 
> Oh right, one thing you should remember. I hope it won't be useful in forever, but you really should know:
> 
> If--IF--you are unfortunate and you get raped, DON'T SHOWER. Don't change anything, your clothes, your accessories, anything, and go straight to the nearest police department. The police needs any evidence to identify and convict the perpetrator as efficently as possible. The reason I'm writing my fic this way is that the girls both know Lincoln Slade would just get away with it (let's just say he would), but in real life, don't do this. I'm serious.

Natasha returned after about ten minutes. Enough time for Bobbi to come up with a plan for what went next while cracking open the liquor cabinet…  
  
And then everything became fuzzy.  
  
"They are all gone now. Only a blonde boy wandering around who I’d guess is your brother. By the way, don’t think you’d enjoy this but I’ve got you emergency contraceptive pi—" the redhead froze at the doorstep, "Barbara Susan Morse, I believe you are a little underage for my pedigree vodka collection."  
  
"Wow, you sounded exactly like my mom just then. You should try that more often." Bobbi let out a string of tipsy giggles as she put down the bottle in her hand on the edge of the table dangerously, her blanket covering her top was nowhere to be found. Natasha made a big stride forward just in time to catch it in its falling. It weighed astonishingly less than she remembered it. "On second thoughts, maybe don’t do that again in forever. It’ll just remind me of how she doesn’t like me. Yeeeeeeeeep."  
  
She lashed out suddenly and wanted to grab the bottle by surprise, but the latter dodged out of reflex.  
  
"That is the alcohol talking, Bobbi." Natasha caught Bobbi with her other arm and help her back on her feet after she stumbled onto herself and fell, "You don’t mean it."  
  
"Why not?" Bobbi was leaning way too close. Her bare skin was pressed hard against the thin shirt Natasha put on just for the trip downstair, her vodka-smelling breath lingered on Natasha’s face even after the blonde was pushed away, "My family don’t care about me at all, Natasha. I told Benny to run, and he just ran…"  
  
Natasha had no way to know if it was true, so she just held on tighter to Bobbi’s arm and dragged her toward the bathroom.  
  
"Come on, lightweight, let’s get you a nice wake up bath."  
  
  
  
Bobbi fell asleep sitting on the floor with her head against the toilet tank while Natasha was filling her bathtub with steamy hot water.   
  
(Or unconscious. Or at least stopped moving. It was really hard to tell which was which.)  
  
"Jesus Christ, Morse." Natasha groaned as she knelt beside the sleeping beauty and untangled the bandage on her back. She took out a first aid kit under the sink and sterilized the cut wounds on her back. The redhead then moved to remove the sweatpants she owned and helped put on for Bobbi not long ago when she was out, but her wrist was wrapped in a tight grip the moment her fingers grazed the waistband.  
  
Bobbi’s lips were moving but the voice was too low to be heard. Natasha leaned forward, and her heart ached in her chest when she finally made out what she had said.  
  
"Please… Stop…" Bobbi whimpered weakly, her holding suddenly relaxed as well as other parts of her body. Natasha managed to catch her before she slid completely to the ground.  
  
"Listen to my voice, okay, little bird?" The title slipped past her lips without a thought and Natasha may have frozen a little, but she just gently shook Bobbi in her arms, "It’s okay, you are safe now. I’ve got you. You just need to take a long hot bath and I’ll help you to bed. You will be good for me, yes?"  
  
Bobbi nodded and she kept nodding for a few moments, a little to Natasha’s amusement, before she finally cooperated and lifted her hips to help along. The redhead planted a light kiss on her forehead before carrying the naked girl from the ground, bridal-style, and laid her in the hot water.  
  
The blonde winced as she came into contact with the warmth and wrapped her arms tighter around Natasha’s neck as if afraid to let go. The redhead continued to coo over her and somehow persuaded her to let go. She immediately went and splashed her way to the other end after that, her sudden movement stirring the water and spilling some on Natasha’s clothes.  
  
"Remind me to buy a stronger lock for my boozes when you’re sober tomorrow, provided you remember what happened, or I’m not busy gutting you." Natasha sighed again and began to strip before stepping in the tub as well, one arm wrapped around her waist from behind to strap her in place as she sat down at the end of the bathtub, the other grabbing her soap to, well, soap the wasted girl, "Just a note, you’re not that useless as you brother thinks, actually. At least you excelled in being a pain in my ass, literally. One of the goons kicked me in the butt. Paid his price, of course, but still."  
  
The sensation of tender skin against hers made her forget where she was for a brief moment, then a hand pinching her upper thigh had her back to the reality. She rubbed Bobbi’s foam-covered shoulder blades and upper arms to relax the tight muscles there (not that there were many) a little harder than necessary in retaliation. Bobbi was a rather short(around 5’3’’) and emaciated girl, her bone structure almost too large with so little skin covered on top, like an agile sparrow always ready for takeoff.  
  
"So you are a little bird." Natasha chuckled as she leaned across a rumbling Bobbi for the shampoo bottle on the shelf. She squeezed some into her hand and ran her fingers carefully through the silky blonde hair, untangling the knots as she went. It was smooth and furry like the hair of a lion pup, but there wasn’t much of it.  
  
"What happened to your hair, Bobbi?" She massaged the scalp lightly, slightly leaning forward to listen more intensely.   
  
"You have some pretty awesome biceps, you know that, 'Tasha?" The hot water surrounding Bobbi seemed to bring her to life a little, which could be shown when Bobbi turned to her side and slid her slender fingers along the older woman’s right upper arm, but Natasha was not sure if she liked where it was heading. Before she could come up with a proper retort, the blonde shifted in her arms and murmured, disturbed. "It got pulled a lot."  
  
 _"…Oh."_ The smile Natasha didn’t even notice was there disappeared from her face.  
  
They sat silently leaning against each other, Natasha busying herself cleaning up and Bobbi playing with the bubbles around her, holding up a handful and blowing them all away with occasional childish giggles. She seemed to slip past phase vino veritas and began phase drunken fit, which was hardly a surprise since it was the first time in her entire life to drink (or was it?) and it was a lot of it. The most fortunate part about her state now was that Bobbi hadn’t throw up yet and there was no sign of it in near future.  
  
(It was great. Natasha really hated to mess with their hot water heaven now.)  
  
Her hands moved lower, pressing lightly on something she thought was just a persistent dirt spot at the right side of her waist, which she soon found out it wasn’t. Bobbi jerked away from Natasha all of sudden, splashing hot water riddled with bubbles all over the redhead.  
  
"What the…" The redhead let out a string of curse in Russian as she stumbled out of the bath for towels. She wiped her face dry, ready to scold, only to found Bobbi curling at the corner of the bathtub (or just other side because it was a bathtub). And with remarkable strength, as it turned out, when Natasha tried to get her to relax.  
  
"Little bird? Are you okay?" She grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and shook first gently than more firmly, " _Bobbi!_ Talk to me!"  
  
"Please… please, whatever you want, just please _stop…_ " Bobbi began sobbing this time, hands gripping at the edge of the bathtub with strength enough to turn her knuckles white. She looked up, her foggy eyes pleading, sending another wave of sharp pain through Natasha’s chest. She looked so fragile, utterly defeated and ruined, one gentle touch from completely falling apart.  
  
The redhead had so many ways to react. She could have said something, done something, anything to comfort and calm the girl, like she did ten minutes ago. But this time she was shaken by the pure agony and insecurity rooted so deep in the blonde that was all too familiar to confront. So instead she picked her up with less ease then previous scenario, considering that Bobbi struggled violently like a wet cat in a bag, and carried her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.  
  
Natasha put Bobbi down on her double bed (like she’d said, she was rich, and it wasn’t that much of a heinous crime to indulge herself a little once in a while) and stared at her. Too many memories—awful memories—were welling up, fast, the feelings of them following not far behind. The sufferings, the torments… the desperation, knowing that you’d failed to protect someone you love most in the whole goddamn world or even just protect yourself.  
  
 _Shit._  
  
The Russian took a deep breath and sighed before tucking her in. She shot a complicated look at the little girl curling under the cover that seemed too big for her then quickly turned back, rubbing her eyes to stop a tear threatening to burst out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, this scene was literally the last minute call. From the very beginning of my ideas about this fanfic I'd never planned to set up a plot like this. But I did. And I'm glad I did.


End file.
